Shadows in the Fire of Passion
by Fire of Hatred
Summary: On "Bring-your-kid-to-work-day" Castle takes Alexis to the Precinct, while she is there, a handsome delivery boy arrives with a package for Beckett. She has an interesting "conversation" with him, leaving her wondering where she's seen him before. Later during a case, she finds out that he is the son of a very rich and powerful businessman hiding a dark past. Summary cont. in chp 1
1. Chapter 1: A familiar face? (Alexis)

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Castle whatsoever, ABC does.

A/N:** This is my first fanfiction, I'm not entirely sure if this falls under the crossover category, if you guys could tell me that would be great. Reviews and honest options are greatly appreciated; all that I ask is do not be insulting. There is a big difference between constructive criticism and insults, otherwise enjoy!**

**Summary continued-** On "Bring-your-kid-to-work-day" Castle takes Alexis to the Precinct, while she is there, a handsome delivery boy arrives with a package for Detective Beckett. She has an interesting "conversation" with him, leaving her wondering where she's seen him before. Later during a case, she finds out that he is the son of a very rich and powerful businessman hiding a dark past. Over time their relationship grows stronger, evolving into a wildfire of passion. Will they overcome the obstacles of even the supernatural, or will they burn to ashes in the flames?

**Chapter 1**: A familiar face? (Alexis)

Considering the fact that I'm a high school senior I think I was getting a bit old to participate in the "Bring-your-kid-to-work-day." But no, Dad insisted. The second thing to consider is that Dad is a writer. So there wasn't anywhere he could really bring me since he makes a living off of sitting behind his laptop at home. But lately he has been hanging around the NYPD at the Twelfth Precinct for the latest research for his latest series of novels (approved by the mayor himself, whom he is personal friends with), the "Nikki Heat" series. Dad has been hanging around there for about five years now; he definitely has enough research to write at least a hundred mystery novels. His real reason for going back is to spend time with Homicide Detective Kate Beckett, whom dad has a thing for.

Anyways I didn't really have anything to do today, considering it was a Saturday he on which insisted on bringing me to "work". I had nothing to lose, so I grudgingly came along. However the fact that I could be using my time to study for my AP exams was nagging me in the back of my mind. As I watched dad build crazy theories with Detective Beckett (by the way the two of them are happily dating as of now), I grew more and more impatient.

Sometime halfway through the day, a boy came stepping out of the elevator with a _massive_ package in his arms. He walked up to Kate, who obviously appeared to be the one in charge and asked her, "Are you Detective Beckett?"

"Yes that's me. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, your smart board you ordered just came in. I'm here to deliver it."

Just then Ryan and Esposito came down the hallway.

"Eh yo, Beckett! We got uniforms bringing in a suspect right now. He's ready for interrogation." Informed Esposito.

"Okay, I'll be right there in a minute." She turned back to the delivery boy and hastily replied "Just leave that next to my desk. Thanks for dropping it off for me."

He nodded curtly, and then Kate Beckett was gone with a swoosh of her blazer, Dad following her close behind.

Dad seemed to remember that I was there too and turned to me, but before words even came out, I told him I would be sitting this one out. Seeming to understand he left.

The first thing I noticed about the delivery boy were his eyes. His eyes betrayed the friendly smile he had about him, painting a false canvas of happiness for the sake of others. His eyes told another story altogether. They were cold and sad; I could tell he was hurting on the inside. There was also a great trace of anger left in there too, but I could tell that the anger wasn't directed at me. It was for someone else, most likely the same someone who had hurt him when he was still a boy. Whatever it was, it was still haunting him. Its impact had permanently etched itself into his cold orbs.

"Hey." He said quietly looking straight at me. "I like your outfit Alexis." He gestured to my sky blue satin skirt.

"Oh. Thanks." With cute looking guys like this one, I probably would've blushed, but he seemed different. Most would complement my apparel or appearance to just flirt, but he didn't seem interested in me in that way at all. He simply replied as to find something to talk about, to break the silence while his eyes far away in another world. If I wasn't so busy analyzing him, I probably would've noticed how despite the sad air about him his looks were good enough to make him a model. The boy had a shaggy mane of black hair and dark brown eyes. In fact they were so dark to the point that one could call them black. He had a nice tan, the kind that everyone wanted to get during summer along with his perfectly fit body. He wasn't ripped per say but he had muscles that defined his body. He wore a leather jacket with a t-shirt underneath, along with black bleached jeans and a pair of Converse shoes. For most guys this type of apparel would most likely get them labeled as a metal head or emo, but this one managed to pull it off as mysterious and yes, I will admit it, sexy. Even though most likely he wasn't trying to _be_ sexy, it was just an added bonus.

For the first time since he had spoken to me, I just then realized he knew my name. If I wasn't so distracted by him, I probably would've realized that sooner. "How do you know my name?" I managed to choke out, once I found my voice again.

The boy suppressed the smile that played upon his lips. "I go to your school. I have calculus with you in third period."

Wow. Now this was _embarrassing_… just my luck. I wracked my brains trying to remember. Heck the sad thing is that I don't have _any_ memory of him ever being in my class. I would surely remember a guy as cute as him. Was I really all that caught up in my own little world to not notice?

I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks; I suddenly became interested at a speck of dirt on my shoes. He must've notice how flustered I looked, because instead of teasing my like any other boy would've, he just chuckled slightly and said reassuringly "It's okay if you don't remember me. I get that a lot. It's not like I talk much. I keep myself to myself." He then did something completely unexpected, which totally caught me off guard. Sticking his hand under my chin, he tipped my head up forcing me to look him directly in the eyes; only this time the coldness had melted away replaced with a warm and cozy look about them. "Hey, don't beat yourself up on this, it's fine, really. It's me Charlie." He then dropped his hand and turned to leave the Precinct.

"Wait!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. What was I getting myself into? This time it was my turn to surprise myself. "Have we met before?" Where did that question come from?

Before I could dwell on that thought he smiled his reply and said "See you soon. Alexis." With that, he entered the elevator and I watched the doors close in front of his figure the smile still on his face.

I stood there for what seemed like eons just staring at the elevator doors. Perhaps some part of me wished they would open back up and we could continue on with our conversation where we left off, but whatever it was, I knew I was deluding myself, and yet I could not tear my gaze away. Only until dad came back with Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito did I break my trance.

"Hey baby, who was that? What's the matter?" He said noticing my expression.

"I'm not really sure…" I replied very slowly as if I had to think hard about the sentence I was trying to form. The gears in my head were whirring. If there was one thing I was sure about, it was that I was definitely not getting any sleep that night. I would be thinking of the mysterious leather jacket boy and trying to think through where I had met him before… Besides school.


	2. Chapter 2: Who I am (Charlie)

**Chapter 2**: Who I am (Charlie)

The cool wind of the night blew past my ear as I sat staring at the fish in the pond as they swam lazily by, some of them occasionally bumping into my feet. Mindless creatures they were, and because of that, I envied them. Whoever said ignorance was bliss was right. They knew nothing beyond the tiny pond they lived in, they didn't have to deal with the curse that I was forced to bear. They could live in their blissful bubble of unknowingness forever. I could only wish I had so good a fate.

This was my favorite place around the house, that is if you could call what I live in a house. It's more of a manor or a mansion; the grounds themselves are several acres, but Father had given me permission to design a spot just for me, and so here I am now, mulling over my thoughts in silence. It was my own little quiet place. I had a pond filled with fish and a Sakura tree next to it; this gave me a great sense of peace. The only things I could hear were the soft chirping of the crickets.

I had just had a fall out with Father a few hours earlier; we were arguing about who would take over the company next and continue on the Winchester family legacy. That's right you heard me. I am Charles Winchester, son of Edward Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Yes, I am the great- great grandson of _the_ William Wirt Winchester who invented most of the modern day rifles and handguns we see today. So, unsurprisingly, my family is incredibly powerful and rich. Father wants me to take over the company when the time comes, however, I downright refused. You may be wondering why I would refuse such an offer to become the next head of a several billion dollar industry, a position many people would kill for. The reason why? The answer is too simple…there is a curse.

As I sat there pondering my fate I heard footsteps behind me and a voice sounded. "I thought I would find you here."

I needn't turn around to know who that voice belonged to. "Oh hey Athena." I replied in a monotone voice. Athena was none other than my close but annoying twin sister.

"Jeez what's got your panties in a wad?" she sat down next to me and waited for me to answer, knowing that I had no other choice but to spill.

I only had to say one word for her to get the gist of what was going on. "Father."

"Oh yeah… I know man. But you're the only candidate left for the job besides me…" she hesitated knowing this subject was quite touchy for the both of us. "There _was_ Tripp…" at that her voice trailed off all together.

I knew what she was talking about. Tripp, our older brother, and the perfect child in the Winchester household. Since the day he was born, he was raised to become the next CEO of Winchester Arms just as I was. The only difference was that Tripp looked forward to the day he would take over; he _wanted_ to be the boss. The curse wasn't enough to stop him from wanting the power. He went to the best boarding schools New York had to offer and finally graduated high school and he was accepted into West Point Academy, and from there he went and joined the military. He came back from Iraq with his chest all decked out in different medals he had won from killing people. Seeing him like that became Father's proudest moment in life.

Things started going back to way they used to with Tripp back again he became the new Head of the Winchester Company and everything was quote on quote normal. Not five months later he became infatuated with a girl named Mary and the two of them were married. Nine months after, she bore him a son. Tripp, however had no interest in the baby nor did Father, and Mary whom despite her lovely appearance only had eyes for her husband… and his position. So when it came time to name the child, they left that decision to Athena and me. We called him Jason.

Since neither Mary, Tripp, nor Father wanted anything to do with baby Jason, a nanny was hired to care for him twenty-four-seven. The Irish nanny, Maria, was a widow, her husband and her three children died in a car accident, leaving her as the sole survivor. She at that point had nothing left except for painful memories and a scar on her forehead as a souvenir from that incident. Maria was like the mother figure the three of us never had, and we were pretty much raised by her hand. Tripp, Athena and I shared the same mother, but she died giving birth to Athena and me. According to doctors, we were lucky enough to have survived ourselves. Even though at the time we were still children, we did our best to help Maria raise Jason. She loved us as her own, and we loved her in return.

This way of life continued for another eight years when suddenly things turned for the worst. Tripp was called back into battle, this time to Afghanistan, and a month later we received word that he had perished he was only thirty years old. Father was distraught and almost went mad from grief, and Mary committed suicide by downing a cyanide pill. Father drank himself into a stupor and became violent he took his rage out upon all of us. His pride and joy gone, and now all he had left to choose from were a bunch of rejects to fill in the job. Athena and I were only fifteen at the time and Jason was almost nine. None of us were old enough to take on the responsibility.

That's when I found out about the curse. The curse that our family had to bear for generation after generation, and it wouldn't be broken until it saw this company laid to waste. Athena and I were cleaning out the attic one day with the help of Jason when we happened across an old trunk coated in years of dust an inch thick. Jason thinking that there would be treasure inside hastily opened it, only to become fairly disappointed at his findings. He hefted out an old rifle. I could tell from the looks of it, it was beyond any of our time, this gun was even older than Father. It most likely dated back to the late 1800's.

Quickly plucking the rifle out of Jason's arms before he could get himself into trouble, I noticed something inscribed on the butt of the gun. Taking my shirt sleeve I rubbed off the dust and grime. In the wood _Winchester Repeating Arms_ was clearly etched, there was something else too. A blood stain? I promptly put that thought out of my mind. It must've been a careless paint splatter from somewhere else.

Putting the firearm aside for the moment, I dug deeper inside the trunk. What I found were newspaper clippings, obituaries, a list of serial numbers and their owners, and a website article on the Winchester house with a colored photograph. It wasn't long after I had begun skimming the papers before I got a nasty chill down my spine. Most of the documents were yellowed with age and crumbled at my touch, but some were fresh. In fact the website article showed that it was printed not a year ago.

After reading through the majority of the articles thoroughly, I quickly discovered that during the time of the Wild West, the original William Wirt Winchester, invented the rifle. The cowboys used them to drive out the Indians, slaughtering tribe after tribe. All were killed by a Winchester rifle or firearm. Finally, an Indian chief of one of the tribes stood up to the men and begged to speak with them using reason. The men laughed ruthlessly and gunned him and his whole tribe down without another word. Legend tells that the Indian Chief upon his dying breath cursed the maker of this weapon and his family to come. That as long as the Winchester Company existed, the family would never know peace, and for every soul killed by the Winchester rifle, they would come back to haunt the members of the Winchester family.

By this time, I was ready to curl up in a ball and cry. I was so scared my heart was thumping in my throat, glancing around; I could tell that my siblings felt no different. Jason had tears streaming down his face as he reached out for Athena who took him up in her arms and calmed him down. I did my best to convince everyone, including myself, that there was no such thing as a curse, and that this was just some stupid story that someone made up like the stuff you saw on . That's when I continued to read on. _BIG MISTAKE_.

What originally was a legend became somewhat of a reality within the next five minutes. The next article I read confirmed my fears. Not two years after the death of the Indian Chief. The wife of Mr. Winchester, Sarah, had begun experiencing things from "beyond our plane". She first had shrugged off these incidences, but soon it became inevitable to avoid. She eventually suffered a stroke. Doctors had pronounced her as mad, but over the next twenty five years her husband died, then her two of her children, and then friends, all died at unreasonable ages. She was now convinced of the curse. She then sought out a Medium, desperate for help. The Medium had told her of the only solution possible other than to destroy the company. She was to build a house, filled with hundreds of rooms. These rooms would confuse the spirits so they didn't know which one she stayed in, therefore, not being able to kill her. The medium had also instructed her to build random trap doors, mirrors, and dead ends to further confound the spirits.

So Ms. Sarah Winchester began the construction. She made sure that there was always someone working on it day and night, and from the first day of construction to the last day of her life she had people working on the Winchester house. Every day she slept in a different room so the spirits wouldn't learn of her sleeping location. Finally after she died word quickly spread that construction on the Winchester house was no longer necessary, and the workers swiftly abandoned their posts and construction on the house finally ceased. By then, the house had already covered several acres of land and was almost impossible to navigate. Sarah Winchester's surviving son had fled Northern California, with the fear of the vengeful Indian spirits rooted deep in his heart. He found refuge in New York and brought his company with him.

He started anew here in New York, his sorrows seemingly put behind… but not for long. He later found a wife and had my father Edward. As soon as Edward took his father's place as the head, both his father and his father's wife mysteriously died of tuberculosis, leaving the whole company in Edward's care. Then came our generation, and you already know the story.

"Do you really believe in that curse?" I was jolted back to present day by the sound of my sister's voice.

"I'm not entirely sure to be honest. But mostly, yeah. But even if it weren't real, it wouldn't hurt to be aware… you know just to be on the safe side. Better safe than sorry I always say."

She nodded her reply, not saying anything for a moment just to gather her thoughts together, she then continued. "Well if that curse is real, then why hasn't anything happened to us yet? Why aren't we dead? Why didn't Father die?"

I scowled at her. "Don't say such things, don't push our luck. Not that we have much to begin with anyway. I don't know why. Why don't you ask Father?"

The look she gave me told me that asking Father anything was out of the question. Father wouldn't care, he never cared about us, only Tripp. We practically raised ourselves. "Do you think he even knows about the curse? Grandpa did."

I snorted my answer. "Yeah, and look how wonderfully he turned out."

"Come to think of it, do you think Tripp knew anything about the curse?"

"I dunno. Probably." I muttered back.

We then sat there in silence, not saying a single word for the longest period of time, just listening to the chirping of crickets and watching the fish swim around our feet, with the full moon reflected against the surface of the pond. All was quiet, and there was an eerie sort of peace.

The serenity of my life never seemed to last long enough, it wasn't long before something happened. It's almost as if I could never be happy, not even for a moment. It was this stupid curse!

Speaking of the devil… I heard the sound of his panting before I even saw him. Jason came sprinting up the walk; tears were streaming down the sides of his face, and his chest was heaving with sobs. At first I thought Father had just yelled at him again or something, but then I realized that there was more to it than what met my eye. I got an ominous chill down my spine at that very moment; I could tell something was seriously wrong.

Athena was the first to react; she quickly scooped up Jason into her arms and tried to shush him, but this time it wasn't working, he continued to bawl.

"Jason. Jason, look at me!" I crouched down next to him and forced him to look me in the eye. I continued to speak using my stern voice "What happened? What's wrong? Jason answer me!"

"Stop! Charlie don't you see this is making it worse?! Right now he needs to be comforted not scolded!" I ignored her.

But Jason shook his head at Athena and looked at me. After taking a few big gulps of air to calm himself, he delivered his message. "It's Maria… s-she's d-dead…"

Just then my heart stopped. Time itself seemed to freeze as I processed those words. No matter how many times I repeated them to myself, they were just as unbelievable as the first time I'd heard it. "J-Jason, come on now, this isn't funny." My voice shook with disbelief.

"No Charlie, i-it's true… I-I saw i-it m-myself. A ch-chandelier fell on top of her as she was w-walking by. T-there was nothing I c-could do!" snot dribbled down his nose as he began to cry once more.

No, no, no! I thought to myself. This can't be true! There has to be some mistake! No, we all loved Maria, she was the only family we had left, and we had already lost so much. How could we lose anymore? We'd lost so much to a point where I felt that we just _couldn't_ lose anything else. Wasn't there a limit to how much bad luck one should have?!

I jumped to my feet; I refused to believe what was happening. I began running back towards the house as fast as my legs could carry me, the other two following close behind. No, this isn't real not until I see the proof! I flew into the building and flung open the doors leading out to the entryway. There I was met with a scene that rent my heart in two.

There upon the floor lay the broken form of our nanny… Maria. The chandelier had been pulled aside, its glass shattered into a thousand pieces, all decorated with the red of her blood. Cops were all over the place, the house was roped off as a crime scene. I stumbled towards Maria's corpse my throat dry and my eyes spilling over.

I knelt down next to her lifeless form moaning "No, no, no! You can't be gone, you can't be!" my moans soon turned to shrieks as I violently shook Maria's body screaming for her to come back. A chasm had opened up in my chest, and my heart was weeping blood. The pain was unlike any that I had ever felt; I just wished that this was all a nightmare and that someone would just wake me up. But no such thing happened. I was vaguely aware of Athena trying to reason with me telling me that it was too late and there was nothing that I could do for her, and Jason screaming along with me in the background.

I heard an indistinct voice in the background say "Esposito, get the kids outta here." I then felt a pair of very large hands wrap around my waist like iron bars.

I remembered kicking and screaming in protest "No! She's the only family I have left! You can't take me away from her! Noooo!" The hands dragged me out of entryway and out into the front yard, but not before I caught a glimpse of the young redheaded Medical Examiner bend down to look at the body. She glanced back at me and we made eye contact for just one moment before she turned back to the corpse and continued her examination with the help another ME.

Jason was hauled out after me screaming, by a sandy haired Homicide Detective. Athena though ashen faced, was the only one who kept her cool (besides Father), and she walked out onto the lawn by herself refusing to make eye contact with me.

I continued on struggling against my captor, trying to get back inside the house. I kept this up until I felt a needle sink into my neck and then my whole body just went limp. A sedative, I thought. My whole world was collapsing in on me once again, and my thoughts became foggy. The last thing that I remembered was realizing that the young redheaded ME was none other than Alexis. From that point on I knew no more and was submerged in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3: Morgue (Alexis)

**Chapter 3**: Morgue (Alexis)

I had to work late night tonight. My internship with Lanie the ME for the NYPD required me to be on call, and so whenever a body showed up, I had to be there. I've been an intern long enough to get over the creepy dead bodies feel, but tonight was different. It was tonight when I realized that I had become so accustomed to working with dead people in a morgue that I'd forgotten that each and every one of them had a story to tell, and that they were more than just corpses taking up space. That each of them meant something to someone, somewhere. The way that boy clung onto her refusing to let go made me remember. Had I really become that apathetic when it comes to death? I'm pretty sure if it was my dad or grandma here I definitely wouldn't be.

"Hey, Alexis?" came Lanie's voice from the back of the room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go upstairs and tell Beckett what we know so far, and when I get back I want my toxicology report done, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing." And with that she left.

I promptly got to work running tests for toxins in her body or anything out of the ordinary all the test results came back negative. As far as I know, I would rule this case as an accident. I'd been done for a while when Lanie still hadn't returned, so I just sat down on a lab bench and contemplated my night.

That boy with that distraught look in his eyes was something that I would never forget… there was something stirring in the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Something about eyes, those black eyes of pain, poor kid… OH! Then it hit me, like a bullet from a gun. The pit of my stomach suddenly felt queasy. That's when I realized why his eyes had seemed all too familiar; he was the same delivery boy I had seen earlier.

Now you may be wondering why Dad made me come with him to work if I already "work here". Mainly because as an ME, I almost never leave the morgue, unless you count going to lunch and the bathroom. Dad just thought it would be great to see what it was like upstairs and how the Homicide team works.

My mind wandered back to Charlie… at least that's what I think he said his name was. I truly felt sorry for that kid; I could tell he was no stranger to pain.

Just then, the door to the morgue opened, Lanie was back. "Girl, do you have my toxicology report?"

"Yes." I said handing her the clip board with all my recorded results. "Everything came back as negative, so I guess we can rule this one as an accident."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. Beckett just told me that this isn't the first death this family has seen."

"So? What are you suggesting? That they killed this woman?"

"Do you even know the name of the family that we are currently dealing with?"

"Yeah. It says here that her name is Maria Locke. So the Locke family right?"

"No. That's what I thought at first too, but boy was I wrong. The family is the Winchester's."

_The_ Winchester's? As in Winchester Arms? The look on my face must've given away the incredulity I held inside.

"Yep, that's them." She replied to my unspoken thought. "If you are thinking of _the _William Wirt Winchester, then you are right. The same ones who supplied the NYPD with our guns. So we are dealing with a very powerful family here, and if we don't take this seriously and screw something up, then we would be in some deep doo doo."

"Wait, what does the Winchester family have anything to do with this lady? And why do they look guilty of murder?"

"That lady" Lanie said as she pointed at the stiff "was the nanny to all three of Winchester's surviving children. The ones you saw earlier. And as to why they look guilty, or at least the father does is because this isn't the first death in their household. According to records, Winchester's oldest son Tripp died in Afghanistan. No questions there, but his wife was found later having committed suicide by cyanide pill."

"So?" I said. "What's the point? She killed herself out of grief because her husband died. End of story."

"So we thought. But looking back upon their family history back to the very first Winchester, there have been a lot of deaths, and no some of them were not of natural causes."

"That doesn't make the dad guilty, just because a bunch of people from generations before died. That doesn't have anything to do with him."

"Look at you getting all defensive! Lemme guess, it's because of that boy isn't it?"

"Boy, what boy?"

Lanie snorted "Psh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, I _saw_ you. And plus your dad, Castle, told Beckett how you were seeing stars after he came to deliver that smart board. You were all stricken and whatnot, and then Beckett told me. "

I could feel the color rise to my cheeks; I glanced down pretending to study the body further.

Seeing as this made me uncomfortable, Lanie switched topics. "Anyway, the point is, we have reason to question if this really is an accident. Besides, we'll find out whether or not after a bit of digging, and if they really are innocent, they'll be let off the hook easy as that." Noticing that I was still red in the face she added "Look, I know you just broke up with Ashley, but hey the Winchester guy was a cutie, I don't see how one couldn't notice him." I guess she was just trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't working. In fact it just made me feel worse. Sighing Lanie just muttered that she would just shut up from this point on, and that we were done for the night.

I had never been so glad to leave the morgue and that included my first day on the job. I quickly packed up and left before she had time to change her mind.


	4. Chapter 4: Crazy Mornings (Alexis)

A/N:** Personally I think this chapter may be a bit choppy and short, but I also wanted to get on with the story (Not that I don't want to do a good job.) so reviews would be greatly appreciated for this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**: Crazy Mornings (Alexis)

When Dad and I finally got back to the loft, it was ten- thirty and we were both dog tired. I was too exhausted to even make it to my bedroom and insisted that I would crash on the couch downstairs. I didn't black out right away, but I had enough time to contemplate that I would never be able to look Charlie in the eye again after tonight. I hoped to God that I wouldn't see him at school tomorrow! My thoughts then became slow and sluggish as I drifted off into the world of dreams.

Sometime several hours later, I was woken up by the sound of a rumbling engine and squealing tires. Blinking hard numerous times, my foggy mind finally caught back up with me. Was that the sound of the… BUS! I hastily leaped off the couch forgetting that I was sleeping on the couch in the first place and that there was a lamp above my head. Too late. I bonked my head into the lamp causing me to trip over and smash my shins into the coffee table, which resulted in an excruciating fall to the floor. Great, just great, I thought to myself while doubling over in pain. I'm going to have bruises for at least two weeks.

"Alexis, what are you doing?" came my dad's voice from somewhere above my head.

Blowing my red hair out of my face I looked up at him with what I hoped was a good poker face. "Umm, just doin' my morning yoga Dad!"

"Haha, very funny. I know you missed the bus. But that's fine, because I can drive you to school."

"What?! Noooo!" I groaned. I'm pretty sure even if Dad couldn't drive me to school, he could just hire some chauffer at the last minute. Thankfully Dad wasn't that kind of rich guy. There wasn't much in the world that money couldn't buy for dad. The reason he would much rather do it himself is because he gets to spend more time with me in the car. You know some father-daughter time. Don't get me wrong! I love my dad more than anything, but the reason I don't like him driving me to school is because since he's a famous mystery writer and attracts a lot of attention, and I don't want to make a scene. Especially at school. I don't want to be known as that "rich writer's daughter" or as the "rich snob". If Dad doesn't attract anyone's attention then our car sure will. He owns a bright red Ferrari, and driving around in that will just make it seem like I'm trying to rub it into people's faces that we're wealthy.

"Sorry hun. How else are you going to get to school?" The man had a point, so I grudgingly accepted his offer. As I turn to go fetch my book bag, he stopped me once again. "You're not going to school in those clothes are you? I don't know what's going to cause more of a scene, me and my car or you wearing those." He gestured to my attire.

Glancing down I gasped out loud. It was then that I realized I was still wearing my scrubs from the morgue. Great, I even forgot to take a shower last night. Growling in frustration, I stomped upstairs to get ready.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later did finally finish prepping up, and by then I was already late for school. The good thing is at least when Dad drives me, no one will be around to notice, everyone should be in class.

"So, how are your classes going?" said Dad, once we were in the car. He just wanted to break the silence; Dad can't stand things if it ever gets too quiet.

"Yeah, they're good." I automatically thought back to calculus. Was he _really_ in my class? I honestly don't remember him, no matter how I thought of it. "Hey, Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know of any guy named Charlie around the Precinct?"

"You're not thinking of that Winchester kid, are you?" he momentarily took his eyes off the road to look at me.

"I mean, how can I not? He did kind of make a big scene last night, and I just saw him the day before."

"The day before? What do you mean the day before? You were at the Precinct with me the whole day, and no there is no Charlie that works at the Precinct."

"He was the delivery boy that delivered Detective Beckett's smart board."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I think I _do _remember him."

I laughed at that "Oh please Dad, like you did. You only had eyes for Beckett. You probably wouldn't have noticed if I dropped dead right in front of you!" He was about to shoot back a reply when we pulled up in front of the school.

"Have a nice day baby." He smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek before driving off to meet Kate somewhere.

After stopping by the attendance office, I headed off to what was left of first period. On most days, I would find class interesting, but today was different. I found myself staring at the clock on the wall waiting for second period to start. I was hardly aware when the teacher called my name for the fifth time to go and get my test score back.

Second period was no better than the first. I was just as restless as before. I asked myself countless times why, but I just figured it was because it was a Monday. As I watched the minutes go by, the last five were the worst. Time seemed to slow down during those minutes. Every second seemed like an hour. Finally at long last the bell rang and I practically sprinted out of there to get to calculus.


	5. Chapter 5: Truth at Long Last (Athena)

A/N:** I finally managed to finish this chapter (Sorry for the late update), after a lot of writers block and coffee. I had a friend edit this one and personally I don't think it's that great but it is literally the best I can do. I CAN NOT think of any other way to word this chapter. So as usual reviews are greatly appreciated. One thing that my friend did mention, is to delete the SWAG and YOLO paragraph, you'll know what I'm talking about as soon as you get there. She said it was way too cheesy, and I can kind of see her point on that, but I've decided to keep it in for you guys. I want to know your opinions on it; it does serve its purpose to represent sinful nature in teens nowadays, kind of if that makes sense... So again PLEASE REVIEW and enjoy! P.S- I will be bringing Alexis back maybe in chapter 7 if not 6, I did not forget her!**

**Chapter 5**: Truth at Long Last (Athena)

"Hey Charlie? Do you want to talk about it?" I stood outside my brother's room trying to get him to come out, talk or do _something_. He hasn't come out since the police left our house; he was taking Maria's death hard. I'm not saying that he shouldn't or that it isn't natural; all I am saying is that most people would've stopped moping around by now. I mean, Maria was like a mom to me, and yes I loved her and her passing has been hard on me, but I've come to realize that no amount of crying will bring her back from the dead. We skipped school today to plan her funeral arrangements; that's the least I could do for her.

"I don't think Charlie wants to talk to you." Jason's voice sounded behind me.

"Yeah, you can say that again." I muttered back. Even Jason was taking this better than him, and he was only eleven (almost twelve) years old, whereas Charlie was eighteen.

"Is he still in there?" I jumped at the deep timbre of his voice, and I quickly spun around coming face to face with Father.

"Umm yes, so it seems." I answered timidly without making eye contact. Father never spoke to me unless he couldn't help it. He never cared about any of us really, but he especially didn't' care for me, because I was a girl.

"Charles!" Father hollered, pounding his heavy fist on the oak door. "Charles! You've got three seconds before I kick this door down! One!... Two!... Thr-."

Just as Father raised his foot off of the floor ready to take the door down, it creaked open slowly, and Charlie's face appeared from behind. "Yes Father, what is it?" he said, his voice clearly hinting his exasperation.

Pushing the door open, he flung Charlie to the floor, none to gently.

"What the hell was that for?!" Charlie yelled from the ground, obviously pissed off.

"For not being a man! Do you know how you made me look in front of those cops? Huh? Do you?" seething with anger, Father continued "You made this Company, _**my**_ company look weak!" he spat. "I want to see you in my office in ten minutes, _**all**_ of you." He added, turning around to glare at Jason and me. I could feel Jason wrap his arms around my legs in fear. Father turned around briskly with an air of finality about him, and promptly stomped out of the room.

Charlie was still sitting on the floor rubbing the spot on the back of his head where he had hit it when he fell. "What?" he said rather forcefully, glaring at the both of us, as if what had just happened were our faults.

"Nothing. I just think you shouldn't try to piss Father off, that's all." He glared at me; his eyes were cold with fury.

"How can you just stand there and talk to me as if Maria didn't just die several hours ago?" he hissed. "Didn't she mean something to you?! She was the mother we never had, and you…" his voice trailed off as he grit his teeth in frustration. "…you disgust me." Having said that he pushed past me and stormed into the hallway.

I was about to follow him when Jason pulled me back and shook his head. "Just give him some time to calm down." I nodded silently, knowing that he was right.

Ten minutes later, the three of us gathered in Father's office just as he had instructed us. I glanced at Charlie, who still stubbornly refused to meet my gaze. Father had his back turned to us as he gazed outside of his window; in his hand was a bottle of Corona beer. If he heard us come in, he showed no sign.

After a moment of silence, Father finally sighed and spoke up. "Charles, please have a seat." He turned to face us and gestured to the one empty seat in front of his ornate desk. The tone of his voice suggested that he was here for business, and that for him, not sitting wasn't an option.

Charlie sat down, his face expressionless and cold, no doubt skeptical of Father's unusual politeness. Father was a big, broad, intimidating man, with a taste for power and alcohol. He was not the kind of man to usually resort to politeness. His head was cropped with light brown hair and his above his lips was a thick mustache. Father always wore a dark grey pinstriped business suit with a black tie. When the man wasn't drinking, he was puffing on Russian cigars. At first he only did so for recreation or when he threw giant house parties, but ever since Tripp's death he had been drinking and smoking on a daily basis.

"Umm, Grandfather…" Jason's voice came out as a squeak as his whole body trembled with terror. "If it's Charlie you need to speak to, shouldn't Athena and I step outside?" what he really wanted to ask was: _Why are we here, and can we leave now?_

"Why Grandson, I thought you'd understand!" Father chortled. He reached forward and ruffled the boy's hair, only to have him flinch and grab hold of me even tighter. I could feel the blood circulation in my arm come to a halt. "You see, I just merely want a word with our young Charles here, and I thought you two would serve as witnesses to our little conversation." Jason jerked his head stiffly up and down, signaling his understanding of the situation so far.

"You wanted us here, so here we are, what do you want with us Edward?" came Charlie's voice sharp as a blade.

"Now, now, Charles. Is that any way to speak to your elders?" Father wagged his index finger in Charlie's face as he took a swig of his beer. "As long as you are to speak to me, you shall address me as either Father, or Sir. Can you do that for me?"

"I guess so, _**Sir**_." He said it with such loathing in his voice that he couldn't help but ball his fists at the same time. Father was not acting like himself at all. Something was definitely up.

"Wonderful." was Father's reply as he folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "Would you like a drink?" he said motioning towards his refrigerator full of Corona and a bottle of Jack Daniel's on his counter.

"I'm eighteen." growled Charlie. "And if you cared anything for your own children you would've known that."

That seemed to be the answer Father was expecting and looking for. "Ah yes, that. Charles, I hope you can forgive me one day, but I _am_ getting old. So naturally I forget things. You can agree with that can you not?" when Charlie did not reply he continued. "And since I am getting old, and you are of age, I will need someone to take over this company for me one day." He let his voice hang, hoping what he was saying would sink in.

Charlie scoffed "Father, I did not know you were getting _that_ old. And I seem remember telling you countless times that I don't want the Company. My answer has not changed since the last time you asked me, and nor will it."

Father hung his head in feigned disappointment sighing he responded "I thought you'd say that. Charles; might I ask why?"

This startled Charlie. For a moment his expression betrayed him, but he quickly reverted back to being stoic as ever. It did not go unnoticed. "Father, let's not insult each other's intelligence." At that moment I wanted to stop him, he was taking a dangerous path; I wanted to pull him back before it was too late. Before he did something he would end up regretting. "I know for a fact, that you know all too well why I refuse to become the next CEO."

"Charles, Charles, Charles." Father said laughing softly. "How many times do I have to remind you that there are _no such thing_ as curses?"

"And how many times do I have to remind _**you**_ not to insult my intelligence? Give it up Edward. The curse is real; you can stop lying to us like you have been all these years. All these deaths in the family can't possibly be coincidental. How long did you think you could keep this from us? You're a far cry from being a father, you know that? No father would keep this from his own children, which is just further proof that you're no father at all. You're a demon."

The next few moments were a blur. I remembered hearing the sound of glass shatter and being knocked back onto the floor, and a scream of pain split through the air as Charlie was flung out of the chair out onto the floor next to me. His hands covered his right eye as blood gushed out from underneath his fingers.

In horror I tore my gaze my away from him to look at Father. He was holding the shattered end of the Corona bottle, which was what he must've struck Charlie with. I turned back to Charlie who was still on the floor moaning in agony, as Jason unsuccessfully tried to aid him.

"I told you to address me as either Sir or Father." He growled, all signs of friendliness leaving him. "You know, it didn't have to end this way Charles. I gave you a choice, but no. You threw that chance away. Since the cat's out of the bag we might as well get down to business."

"WAIT!" I yelled, I was tired of being ignored, tired of being _just a girl_, no I was going to stand up to that monster, like I should have done years ago. "What do you mean the cat's out of the bag?"

Father narrowed his eyes at me as if trying to read my mind before responding. "Wait a minute. You guys really don't know do you? I see now, Charles was only being metaphorical. He had no idea the whole time he was right." He then threw back his head and let out a stream of laughter. The sound was cold and ominous and sent shivers trailing down my spine. I just wanted disappear, but I promised myself that this time I would stand my ground.

"What's going on here? What are you talking about?"

"Well since we've now ventured so far into the lion's den, we might as well find out what horrors lie within. Athena, sit." It wasn't a question. So I sat. "Let me tell you a story. It all begins with the first Winchester of this family, yes I am referring to William. I'm pretty sure you all know the legend of the Winchester house and what happened to poor Sarah…" he looked me straight in the eyes; I noticed how his were bloodshot from drinking alcohol.

Suddenly the lights in the room flickered and died, the door to the office slammed shut all of its own accord, the curtains to the windows drew themselves together, and the fireplace roared to life all by itself. My heart was thudding so hard in my chest I could hear it loud and clear. What sorcery was this? Father acted as if nothing happened, like this was almost as normal as calling one's friends…

Father's voice became dangerously quiet and he continued the recount of our history in a voice that was barely audible. "The legends are true Athena, but to think that the three of you would have discovered it all on your own is quite an impressive feat. I made sure that trunk would never see the light of day, and yet somehow you three managed to dig it back up." He pulled a cigar from his breast pocket and lit it. After a long drag, he resumed "But that doesn't matter, you already know. I tried my best to make sure you guys never believed in curses, and it worked for a while, that was until, Maria's death."

"No. You're wrong." I managed to choke out, despite the rising fear I felt.

"Wrong am I? About what, may I ask?"

"We never believed in that curse. At least not really, we just thought that we as a family had it bad when it came to luck. Charlie's just superstitious, that's all. That's why he never wanted the job, not because the _really_ thought that there _really_ was a curse! We wouldn't have known until you just told us! And I'm still not entirely buying it!"

Father thought about this for a second; I watched him mull over his thoughts as the firelight danced across his face. Ignoring me he stood up and walked around the desk to face Charlie where he lay on the ground still clutching at his bleeding eye. "Do you know why I'm alive today?"

"Because you're a self centered bastard that cares for no one else besides himself?!" Charlie spat at him. He finally took his hands away from his face, and I could see that the Corona bottle had cut a gash starting from a little above his eyebrow down to his jaw line. Thankfully the blood had stopped oozing, which was strange for a cut that deep. His eyelid had been sliced in half from the jagged edge of the glass, so that what used to be one flap was now two. Although I wasn't sure if his eye was left unscathed, not with it shut like that. He must've been in so much pain, but he showed no signs of having felt the incision.

An amused smile played upon Father's lips. "_No_, Charles. I'm alive today because I made a pact with the devil. Notice how the curse killed off every one of our family members but me? Or at least everyone that has been the CEO."

_WHAT HAS THIS MAN BEEN SMOKING?!_ (Besides his Russian cigars.) I thought to myself. Has he gone nuts? Maybe the alcohol was really getting to him. Then again, there was that creepy light flickering thing going on.

"Why am I not surprised?" retorted Charlie through gritted teeth. "So, what was this so-called-pact you have going on? Care to tell us? Or are you just going to lie to us like you have been for the past sixteen or so years?"

Father smirked, and there was an evil glint in his eye. "You see, when you are someone as important as me you can't _afford_ to die, especially when you least expect it. So I needed a way out of this curse, and that's when I found the _perfect_ escape route. One night, about a year before Tripp was born, _**he**_ paid me a visit. That's right, he called himself Lucifer. He appeared right in this very office. He told me that he understood my troubles and that he could offer me a hand in assistance, but at a price. I was only twenty-five then and my parents were dead not to mention everyone before them died horrible deaths as well. I was afraid, because I knew then that I would be next."

"It was a shame you didn't." muttered Charlie, Father disregarded him.

"Lucifer sympathized with me; he told me that I didn't deserve to suffer a fate caused by my forebears so he offered me a way out."

"Lemme guess, you sold your soul. Come on we've a heard some semblance of this story. Sell your soul, blah blah blah, and later Lucifer comes back to claim it. Yeah we've all heard it."

"No, he said that he could take this curse off of my shoulders under one condition, that I either sell my soul to him, or serve him in life and allow him to have whatever he needed from me as long as it was not my soul or my fortune." This situation was getting crazier and crazier by the minute. I had no idea what the hell was going on, and Charlie was just playing along, acting like all this crap actually exists! That idiot is so gullible! He's swallowing this whole story Father made up!

"You are _so_ going to Hell." Jason spoke up for the first time, the fear that was on his face only moments ago had melted away and was now replaced nothing but cold fury. He balled his fists, ready for a fight. Oh great. Now him too?! No, curses and all this demon/Devil stuff DOES NOT EXIST!

"Actually Grandson, I am sorry to disappoint you, I will not be going to Hell. For I have served Lucifer therefore I get a scoot free."

"Actually Edward yes you will." A new voice echoed throughout the whole room. There was no sense in direction as to where it came from. It seemed to come from… well… _everywhere_…

I spun around; glancing all over the room to see where the voice was coming from but there was no one in here besides us. Father looked nervous for some reason, though I had an idea as to what he was nervous about. Suddenly the fire from the grate sprang to life. The inferno formed a stream in midair as it collided violently with the shadows in the room, which had somehow become solid.

Just when I thought that I would get burnt to a crisp from the flames, the tongues of fire died down revealing the form of a… boy? Okay, I take that back, he wasn't a boy; he looked as if he was still in his crazy college years, so I guess he counts as a man. The man looked to be about twenty-one, but he seemed much older.

The newcomer wore a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, a white t-shirt that said "YOLO" on the front and "SWAG" on the back; a pair black skinny jeans, and Vans skate shoes. He was what society would label as physically attractive, and he was, especially with his dirty blonde hair and Grecian profile. In spite of all that I noticed he had a cruel smile and an evil look in his eyes that seeped out through his sunglasses.

"Long time no see Edward." He greeted Father casually. "How long has it been?" he said scrunching his face up as if trying hard to remember. "Eighteen years?" Father instantly paled.

The man then turned to us as if noticing our presence for the first time. "I see you've got a couple of new additions to the family since the last time I visited." He said eyeing Charlie and me. "Well then, I better introduce myself, after all who said we can't be civil here?" He took a dramatic bow and continued "I am Lucifer, the fallen archangel of Hell, or better known as Satan, and I am your father."


End file.
